Alex Cicelsky, an American-Israeli and co-founder of Kibbutz Lotan,
outlined his kibbutz’s unique emphasis on environmental concern and
ecology. Julia Parzen, a Chicago-based environmental expert who has
recently consulted the City of Chicago on its Climate Action Plan and the Beracha Foundation
on the Israeli environmental movement, addressed a “Midwestern
Perspective on Israel’s Environmental Challenges and Opportunities: What
We Have to Learn and What We Have to Share.” Parzen and Cicelsky spoke
to nearly 30 organizational leaders and delegates, who gathered at
yesterday’s meeting of JUF's Jewish Community Relations Council to learn
about recent strides in environmentally conscious agriculture,
construction, and technological development both in Chicago and in
Israel.